This was Matthew Shepard's first year at the Univ of WY. After years of struggling with his sexuality, he told a friend several weeks ago that in college he finally felt safe. [On October 7, 1998, Matthew Shepard] was lured from a bar in Laramie, WY, robbed, beaten with a pistol, taken to a dirt road on the edge of town, tied to a wooden fence, and left to die. [Five days later] Matthew passed away in a Colorado hospital. [People are gathering across the country and around the world because of this injustice]:
- because when Matthew's family and friends went to church to mourn their sons death they were harassed by people preaching hatred and violence, just as thousands of parents have been harassed as they mourn their sons and daughters, taken from them too early by violence or disease.
- because in 1996, there were 21 murders in the United States on record where we know that an lgbt person was murdered solely because of their sexual orientation;
- because the Justice Department says that lesbian and gay Americans are the most frequent targets of hate crimes;
- because 19% of gay men and 25% of lesbians have suffered physical violence at the hands of a family member as a result of their sexual orientation;
- because gay teens are 2 to 3 times more likely than their straight peers to commit suicide;
- because 30% of gay and bisexual adolescent males have attempted suicide at least once;
- because people in power don't believe us when we say were afraid;
- because Congress hasn't passed the Hate Crimes Prevention Act;
- because, in the words of the poet, scholar, and activist June Jordan, "Our survival requires that we alter our environment so that we can live and so that we can hold each others hands and so that we can kiss each other on the streets, and in the daylight of our existence, without terror and without violent and sometimes fatal reactions from the busybodies of America."
written by: Tim Stewart-Winter, Swarthmore College, '01.
If you would like to make a donation to the Matthew Shepard Fund you can do so by writing to the following address:
Matthew Shepard Fund (#1926083) c/o 1st National Bank Box 578 Fort Collins, CO 80522
And for more information on Matthew Shepard and vigils, you can go to Matthew's Place or to the Mattew Shepard National On-Line Vigil.
This event had an impact on people's live everywhere. Let's not forget, though, that there are hundreds of "Matthew Shepards" that never made the front page becase they were the wrong color, the wrong gender, the wrong social class...etc. Let's also not forget the millions of lgbtq youth out there still alive and afraid to come out because they've witnessed the violence and backlash aroused when people do come out. The memorial, links, and the resources found on this page are for those people as well. And ultimately, all of this is just my way of feeling like I've done something positive to combat this homophobia.